“Today In connects people to local news and information about their community. It is now available in over 400 cities in the US, and we have launched our first international test in Australia. In addition, we have started testing Today In in communities located in news deserts, places that have low supply of local news and community information, by supplementing with relevant content from surrounding areas.”

As shown above, the tool provides updates on local news stories, events and group discussions, all aimed at keeping users informed about community happenings, and encouraging participation through relevant prompts.

Facebook first launched ‘Today In’ back in January – the tool aims to showcase Facebook’s ‘community good’ benefits, as something of an antidote to the fake news and divisive political movements which have now become synonymous with Mark Zuckerberg’s creation. Local news, which can be more easily proven, and is likely more relevant to each person, is also generally less divisive, while providing notes on groups to connect with can help enhance involvement and shift users from passive consumption to actual, active engagement.

And definitely, there’s a lot of potential in this regard, though it does depend on if and how users see it.

Right now, as shown in the above video, people in regions where the tool is available can opt-in to be shown a News Feed prompt which takes them through the local news of the day, while you can also access ‘Today In’ from the function menu.

Currently, ‘Today In’ prompts are switched off by default, which makes sense, but it also likely means that a lot of people either aren’t aware of the tool, or they aren’t getting regular updates (it’s available in my region, and I checked it out when it launched, but haven’t done so or seen anything about it again since).

Plenty of people will likely opt-in, and Facebook could use News Feed prompts to boost awareness. But at present, I’m guessing for most people, it’s just another function on that list that they never check. It’ll be interesting to see the usage stats in a few months time, now that it’s available in more regions.

There is also a concern, as noted by TechCrunch, that the tool could be ripe for misuse. The system will pull in local news via algorithm, without human intervention, which could see fake news and misinformation reaching into the listings. Facebook says that it does have ‘misinformation filters’ in place, and that users can report suspicious content, but given the current issues Facebook is dealing with on this front, it could be a problem. Only time will tell in this respect.